UN chief lays wreath at Beirut port, urges action from leaders

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Monday laid a wreath at a memorial for the August 2020 Beirut port blast on the second day of a visit aiming to rally international support for crisis-hit Lebanon.

Guterres, who arrived on Sunday, has called on Lebanese leaders to work together to address the economic meltdown that has left four in five Lebanese poor.

“Seeing the suffering of the people of Lebanon, Lebanese political leaders do not have the right to be divided and paralyze the country,” Guterres said on Sunday evening after a meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s government has not met for more than two months amid a push by parties close to powerful politicians charged in connection with the blast to remove the judge leading the probe.

Guterres said in a video message ahead of his visit that he supports the demands of Lebanese for “truth and justice” over the blast, caused by the explosion of chemicals stored at the port for nearly seven years.

Many Lebanese blame the blast on the corruption and dysfunction normalized by the country’s political elite, who have been in power since the end of the 1975-90 civil war.